Research Scientist

Sesame HR; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Employer-paid health vision dental

Unlimited PTO & sick time

Medical FSA up to $1650/year

Job summary

Sesame is seeking a Machine Learning Scientist to advance NLP, Speech, and Computer Vision with deep learning. You will stay up to date with the latest research and develop novel solutions aligned with Sesame’s product goals.

You will work across the ML stack—from model architectures and data curation to training infrastructure, evaluation, and experimentation—collaborating with a startup team to push the boundaries of AI in user-facing applications.

Qualifications

• Experience working independently in high-ambiguity environments.
• Published papers in NLP, Speech, or Computer Vision involving large-scale deep learning.
• Familiar with the state of the art in AI.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in CS or related field.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of ML models across multiple modalities.
• Work across the ML stack, including model architectures, data curation, model evaluation, training & inference infrastructure, research, and experimentation.
• Pick promising approaches from the literature to bet on, and create new approaches where necessary to achieve our unique goals.

Skills

NLP

Speech

Computer Vision

Deep Learning

Education

CS degree or higher

Job description

About Sesame

Sesame believes in a future where computers are lifelike - with the ability to see, hear, and collaborate with us in ways that feel natural and human. With this vision, we're designing a new kind of computer, focused on making voice agents part of our daily lives. Our team brings together founders from Oculus and Ubiquity6, alongside proven leaders from Meta, Google, and Apple, with deep expertise spanning hardware and software. Join us in shaping a future where computers truly come alive.

About the Role

New and novel approaches are needed to realize all of our product goals. As a Machine Learning Scientist at Sesame, you are a research-oriented person with experience in NLP, Speech, and/or Computer Vision with a focus on deep learning. You are up to date on recent papers and approaches and you have the creativity and the intuition to come up with new solutions based on the application at hand.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of our ML models across multiple modalities.

• Work across the ML stack, including model architectures, data curation, model evaluation, training & inference infrastructure, research, and experimentation.

• Pick promising approaches from the literature to bet on, and create new approaches where necessary to achieve our unique goals.

Required Qualifications

• Experience working independently in high-ambiguity environments.

• Published papers in NLP, Speech, or Computer Vision involving large-scale deep learning.

• Familiar with the state of the art in AI.

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in CS or related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters/PhD desired.

• Experience working with products.

• Experience in a startup environment.

Sesame is committed to a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered. We welcome all qualified applicants, embracing diversity in race, gender, identity, orientation, ability, and more. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. Contact [e-mail] for assistance.

Full-time Employee Benefits:

• 401 (k) max employer match: 3.5% of compensation

• 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental benefits for you and your dependents

• Unlimited PTO and sick time

• Flexible spending account with employer matching up to $1,650/year (medical FSA)

• Guardian Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Opportunity to share in the company's success with competitive stock options

Benefits do not apply to contingent/contract workers.